Friday, July 20, 2018

Summary

The moment spymaster Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Aurore of Chanay, he's positive her royal persona is a ruse and that she's actually Monique Servais, the mysterious actress he met three years before in Dieppe. But as he pursues his suspicions, he uncovers a plot of attempted assassination and betrayal that could very well destroy his career, expose his own secrets...and ruin the woman he's rapidly coming to love.

The Secret of Flirting is a sizzling historical romance filled with fast-paced storytelling, an enchanting heroine, and a sexy hero, perfect for fans of Regency romance.

My Thoughts

Justine Eyre could narrate a takeout menu and I would listen. She's an actress, model, and most importantly, one of the best narrators on this planet. She played all the characters extremely well and made this book a pure pleasure to listen to.

Sabrina Jeffries is one of my favorite romance authors. I've read several of her books and each time have been taken away to my happy place. I've not read any of the previous book is the Sinful Suitors series. I knew from past experiences this would not be a problem, so I proceeded to feet first into the wonderful world the Jeffries creates.

The storyline is nothing really new. It's The Prince and the Pauper of sorts with a little twist. Monique Servais is a French actress who is implored by her distant royal relatives to step in and imitate her lookalike cousin Princess Aurore of Chanay because Aurore has been ill and a kingdom is at stake. Monique does this mostly to help her poor ailing grandmother. However, Baron Fulkham, and odious man she met three years earlier, recognizes Monique from the stage. Fulkham is bound by honor to report these shenanigans to the proper authorities. But an attempt on Monique's life leaves Fulkham questioning her family's motives.

I absolutely loved the main character, Monique. I love her unabashed ambition. I love the way she stood up to Fulkham. I love she was willing to do anything to protect her family. I did not have the same love for the hero of the story, Fulkham. He rubbed me the wrong way since the moment he was introduced to the heroine. He was so quick to judge, to assume. I did not understand why Monique was attracted to him. He did lighten up a bit as the story progressed, but not as much as I had hoped. And his explanation as to why he treated her that way was somewhere along the same lines as the reason little boys hit little girls is because they like him. (Disclaimer: Fulkham did not hit Monique. This was just an example.)

Fulkham was really my only problem with the story. I did like the overall storyline. Loved the narrator. And I still love the author. This book just wan't one of my favorites.

*I listened to the audiobook through a digital download provided by the publisher. This is no way influenced my opinions of this book.